Music Monday: Kenny Loggins and “Keep the Fire” (1980)
Posted By RichC on July 3, 2023
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Woodworking: Made the push sled for the router table
Posted By RichC on July 2, 2023
While contemplating a previous idea for a router guide (photo) … and waiting for paint to dry (it was raining on Saturday), I made a push sled for my router table. I’m not sure the hold down will really do much, but added it with a couple spare parts from my drill press table.
Edit: Sunday afternoon Octagon Side Table painting update
Added based-coats on Saturday and first of two top-color off-white paint (matching kitchen cabinets) on Sunday before sanding back to base and raw woods “rub through” look. Final two spray coats of clear to come next weekend perhaps?
Workshop tips and project ideas, with no particular need
Posted By RichC on July 1, 2023
Before I archive clipped workshop tips and ideas to a computer folder (saved in a place I will never look again => #humor), ideas that I’ve snipped from a variety of library borrowed woodworking magazines, I’m going to save them to my blog.
If I were sharing and posting correctly, I would footnote or at least credit the source, but alas I’m not that ambious or efficient enough. So for my own reminder, here are a few tidbits in no particular order.
- A router “sub-base to groove at detail in a cabinet door panel
- An interesting outdoor shower (no need for one, but I like it)
- Workbench groove to catch small rolling items (this would be nice)
- Micro adjustments using a screw for stop cuts after clamping stop (use them in throat plates for micro-adjustments)
- Router table two-sided fence idea for clamping with vacuum hose port
- Router table crosscut sled with clamp (not unlike the Rockler one, but a bit simpler to the one for my tablesaw and bandsaw)
- Walrus Oil for cutting boards that I recently mentioned to Katelyn
… and no, it doesn’t come from Waluses (cutting board oil tidbit below). 😊
Tech Friday: Adding a date to the search results
Posted By RichC on June 30, 2023
Such a simple fix; why did it take me so long to add a bit of code to the “non-supported” WordPress theme 
that My Desultory Blog has been using since nearly the beginning in 2005? Ugh, well it is finally good to have a “DATE” listed when using the search box.
Also while checking my server logs, I noticed excessive loads and that the CPU use was higher than normal? So updated, backed up and “screenshotted” the server for a restore point and once the server was restarted, the graphs returned to normal. Hm?
The Legendary Palm Treo 700p #TBT
Posted By RichC on June 29, 2023
While updating a few 
blog titles that had mis-coded characters on My Desultory Blog, my eye was drawn to an old favorite smartphone post from 2006 — the Palm Treo 700p.
The photos started me thinking about this making an interesting artificial intelligence assisted ChatGPT Throwback Thursday #TBT post?
The Legendary Palm Treo 700p
The Palm Treo 700p was a device that captured the hearts of mobile enthusiasts and marked a significant milestone in the evolution of smartphones. So, let’s take a trip down memory lane and celebrate the unforgettable Palm Treo 700p!
The Arrival of the Palm Treo 700p:
Released in 2006, the Palm Treo 700p was a revolutionary smartphone that combined the power of Palm’s renowned PDA functionality with the convenience of a mobile phone. It boasted a sleek design, featuring a full QWERTY keyboard, a vibrant color display, and a compact form factor that made it a coveted device of its time.
The Power of Palm OS:
The Treo 700p ran on Palm OS 5.4.9, which was optimized for multitasking and offered an extensive range of productivity features. Users could manage their schedules, access emails, browse the web, and even use third-party applications, making it a versatile tool for both personal and professional use.
A Camera in Your Pocket:
One of the standout features of the Palm Treo 700p was its integrated 1.3-megapixel camera. While the camera quality may seem modest by today’s standards, it was a big leap forward at the time, allowing users to capture memorable moments on the go.
Generation “DOOMED.” #humor
Posted By RichC on June 28, 2023
Saw this image on Twitter with the tagline “Humanity is Doomed” the other day … and although I smiled … it is unfortunately the appropriate comment.
Reading – “Saved: A War Reporter’s Mission to Make It Home” by Benjamin Hall
Posted By RichC on June 27, 2023
This past weekend I started a new book that I’ve been looking forward to reading since “Saved: A War Reporter’s Mission to Make It Home” was released in March 2023. Benjamin Hall’s book is one I should have purchased in the spring, but since I had a pile of reading to get through, I opted to get in line for a library copy.
This past weekend it became available in the Kindle format (even better) so checked it out online and started reading Sunday night. Although I’ve heard journalist Benjamin Hall relay much of his terrifying story many times on Fox News segments, it is even a better read. I quickly ignored what was going on around me to continue reading. Midnight rolled around and shut the cover only to find myself up at 6AM making coffee and reading it before turning on the morning busienss news (my normal routine). In other words … it is well written and worth buying and reading (now also in audio).
Benjamin Hall is a veteran war reporter who only 20 days after his father’s burial in California (an impressive WWII Phillipines survival story too), was back in Kyiv reporting on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. THEN …
…on the morning of March 14, 2022, Russian bombs would nearly end his life. As a journalist for Fox News, Hall had worked in dangerous war zones like Syria and Afghanistan, but with three young daughters at home, life on the edge was supposed to be a thing of the past. Yet when Russia viciously attacked Ukraine in February 2022, Hall quickly volunteered to go. A few weeks later, while on assignment, Hall and his crew were blown up in a Russian strike. With Hall himself gravely injured and stuck in Kyiv, it was unclear if he would make it out alive.
This is the story of how he survived—a story that continues to this day. For the first time, Hall shares his experience in full—from his ground-level view of the war to his dramatic rescue to his arduous, and ongoing, recovery. Going inside the events that have permanently transformed him, Hall recalls his time at the front lines of our world’s conflicts, exploring how his struggle to step away from war reporting led him back one perilous last time. Featuring nail-biting accounts from the many people across multiple countries who banded together to get him to safety, Hall offers a stunning look at complex teamwork and heartfelt perseverance that turned his life into a mission.
Through it all, Hall’s spirit has remained undaunted, buoyed by that remarkable corps of people from around the world whose collective determination ensured his survival. Evocative, harrowing, and deeply moving, Saved is a powerful memoir of family and friends, of life and healing, and of how to respond when you are tested in ways you never thought possible.
Annalyn and Ellerie with Oma and Bompa Summer 2023
Posted By RichC on June 26, 2023
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The Hadley, Polar and Ferrel Cells and Surf Dancing #video
Posted By RichC on June 25, 2023
Someone shared a National Geographic map on climate from a “years ago” issue and I found the discussion of the Hadley, Polar and Ferrel Cells interesting … I even had to look them up.
The atmosphere transports heat throughout the globe extremely well, but present-day atmospheric characteristics prevent heat from being carried directly from the equator to the poles. Currently, there are three distinct wind cells – Hadley Cells, Ferrel Cells, and Polar Cells – that divide the troposphere into regions of essentially closed wind circulations. In this arrangement, heat from the equator generally sinks around 30° latitude where the Hadley Cells end. As a result, the warmest air does not reach the poles. If atmospheric dynamics were different, however, it is plausible that one large overturning circulation per hemisphere could exist and that wind from the low-latitudes could transport heat to the high-latitudes. As an explanation for equable climates, Brian Farrell presented this idea in 1990 and advocated that during equable climates, the Hadley Cells extended from the equator to the poles (Farrell, 1990). LINK
Although those who study climate, “without a political bent and grants money on the line”, undoubtedly understand the science far better than readers like me, I still find it interesting to learn about.
As for beauty when it comes to nature and the oceans, there aren’t too many scenes better than watching the waves come in at a beach … except maybe someone surfing those waves and turning it into a dance (below). Wow!
Just how long is the South American country of Chile?
Posted By RichC on June 24, 2023
Most of us know from Geography class that the country of Chile in South America is a narrrow but l-o-n-g country … but may not have a perspective as to it’s entire length. A “map website,” BrilliantMaps, that I follow on Twitter posted a couple photos illustrating just how long (or tall) it is. It would take a while to “hike” or even drive the full distance of 2,653 miles.
Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee
- lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
- digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.